TA: Real Madrid executives appreciate Alonso s achievements when playing for players, and he has played for Guamuan.

May 26th Real Madrid officially announced that Alonso became the team's new coach. The Athletic interviewed sources who learned about the appointment and talked about some of the behind-the-scenes situations of Alonso's return to Real Madrid.

Since the 2023-24 season began, rumors about Alonso coaching Real Madrid have been ongoing, but all this has not been achieved until this year. TA reported in March that Real Madrid had contacted Alonso's representative in the previous few months and regarded it as the first choice to replace Ancelotti.

Alonso has been praised as a player in the past for his demeanor on the court and in the locker room. He doesn't like the spotlight, and gives people the impression that he is very rational and interested in culture. However, some Real Madrid fans were dissatisfied with this because they suddenly joined Bayern, who coached by Guardiola at the last moment of the summer window in 2014. After retiring in 2107, Alonso started his coaching career at Real Madrid U14 in 2018. Just one season later, Alonso decided to leave and coach Real Sociedad B in the Spanish Second Division. The first year at Real Madrid youth training was very important for him as he met Argentine coach Palinia, who has been supporting Alonso ever since.

A senior youth training person told TA: "Alonso has been very good at coaching since the beginning and has the potential to coach Real Madrid's first team. He has a very strong reading ability in the game. He proposed some things he had learned under Guardiola and Mourinho in the training. He is really good at reading games." After coaching Leverkusen successfully, Real Madrid began to pay close attention to Alonso. In the 2023-24 season, whenever the club discusses a possible replacement for Ancelotti, his name always comes first. On Real Madrid's board of directors, especially CEO Jose Angel Sanchez, he has always admired Alonso's achievements in England, Spain and Germany's giants, especially with top coaches such as Guardiola, Mourinho and Ancelotti. Real Madrid executives believe these experiences provide an ideal foundation for Alonso to be a coach now.

It is also important that Alonso understands the club and its environment, understands the power of the chairman, the psychology of the locker room, the comments of the media, and the high demands of the fans. Ancelotti and most of his team considered Alonso the ideal successor, the two met in Madrid in 2013 and worked together at Bayern for a while. They have also had several exchanges recently to make sure Alonso knows as much as possible about Valdebebas’ current situation.

Alonso also talked with some Real Madrid players and even communicated with Raul, who is about to leave the team. Raul will leave the club after six seasons as Castilla coach, and the two have a good relationship, taking coaching courses together in 2018 and earning UEFA Class A and B Class Certificates.

In early 2024, when Liverpool and Bayern sent an invitation to Alonso, he chose to stay at Leverkusen, which was no accident, and Real Madrid was very clear about it because they would come together in the short- to medium-term future. As 2025 begins, Real Madrid's board of directors has become increasingly close to those around Alonso. Ancelotti knew this very well, and although she was disappointed, she understood it.

Alonso himself has also contacted some of his trusted colleagues in Real Madrid many years ago. He is close friends with Real Madrid youth team coach Aveloa and has a good relationship with first-team goalkeeper coach Ropis. Alonso assistant coach Palinia also maintains contact with his colleagues in Real Madrid in the past. Earlier this year, while Leverkusen was training at Valdebebas, Alonso and even Sanchez met informally. Alonso has been closely watching the growth of young players who have worked with Real Madrid youth training, and has even expressed his intention to bring some of them to Leverkusen, but no deal was reached in the end.

Alonso had announced his decision in the locker room before he announced his departure from Leverkusen and received warm applause from the players. According to the people present, the atmosphere at that time was similar to when he announced his retention a year ago, which reflects his lofty status and recognition in the team.